Pain Relief and Fitness

Our bodies are meant to move, no matter what our age. When we are sedentary, we slowly losr muscle and and gain fat, setting the stage for diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, and heart disease. We also lose bone mass, which can eventually develop into osteoporosis. But when we stay active, we counteract all […]

Long before automatic transmission, remote controls, and home delivery pizza, there was walking. People walked to to get somewhere and to do things – around their houses, land, and towns. Even if you don’t have to walk much in day-to-day activities, it’s a good thing to do anyway, a skill you don’t want to lose. […]

Walking for exercise is easy and convenient for most people, which makes excuses hard to come by. But if you haven’t exercised in years, you’ll want to underdo it at first. Ten minutes a day may be all you should do for the first week or so. Then, you can add about 10 percent more […]

If your knees are free of pain, it really gives you license to be active. And activity will help your heart work better, help keep your brain in tip-top condition, and improve your overall quality of life as you age. But if your knees are painful, it limits your life in many ways that are […]

More than just a simple hinge, the knee is stout pillar of muscles, bones, ligaments, and cartilage that endures an extra ordinary pounding everyday. When you walk down a staircase, for instance, your knees support a force that is equivalent to 4 1/2 times your body weight. Jump, and your knees absorb a vertical impact […]

Stand firmly with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. Breathe out completely and fix your gaze on a spot on the floor or wall to help you keep your balance. Then, as you breathe in, bring your arms up in a wide circle to the sides and over your head. Hold […]

If you’ve seen photographs of its poses, you might think that yoga is a form of torture only a pretzel could love – something more likely to cause pain than to relieve it. It’s true that some of the more advanced poses – feet behind the head, balancing on one arm – require great strength […]

Regular stretching is an important way to decrease your chances of developing bursitis and tendinitis or send them away after they strike, many health-care professionals say. Try these stretches for prevention and flare-ups. Do 10 repetitions of each stretch, but as you begin a stretch, don’t reach as far as you can. Slow progression is […]